Pioneer Parody

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September 28, 2011

As the publisher of a popular Oklahoma-based blog, it’s always been my goal to interview (or eat biscuits with) blogging superstar Ree Drummond. Ree, a.k.a The Pioneer Woman, is one of the world’s most successful bloggers and stay-at-home ranch moms. Unfortunately, getting in touch with her has become difficult, what with Ree writing cookbooks, hosting her own Food Network show and applying Photoshop filters to pictures of her adorable kids carving pumpkins.

Since Ree is so busy, I decided instead to chat with Pie Near Woman, created as, ahem, homage to Oklahoma’s favorite mommy-prairie blogger. Borne out of her experiences with the woman behind one of the most popular blogs in the United States, Pie Near Woman offers a “for mature audiences only” glimpse of what The Pioneer Woman’s evil twin might blog about.

Patrick Nelson: Do you come up with your own recipes or do you just steal the ones your mom made?
Pie Near Woman: Honey! Have you seen anyone else among the famous foodies wrapping a club cracker with a slice of bacon, sprinkling Kraft parmesan cheese on it and calling that a fancy hors d’oeuvre? I don’t think so!

PN: Do you have a plastic bassett hound?
PNW: I have more bassett hounds than you can shake a stick at. In all kinds of material: Plastic. Ceramic. Enamel. Velour. Polyester. Velvet. The list goes on and on and on.

PN: Your husband sees ample time on your blog. Tell me about him.
PNW: My husband is walking sex on a stick. When God so violently chiseled my husband’s backside, he must have been channeling Michelangelo because his hind quarters are as close to perfection as mankind is capable of getting in this fallen world.

PN: Was your dad a “plastic” surgeon?
PNW: Yes, my daddy was a surgeon, but I have no idea what he surged. All I know is that I grew up on a golf course, vacationing at Hilton Head every summer and then I went to USC where I spent my college years going to fancy restaurants, staying in exclusive hotels and buying every outfit in the J.Crew catalog. It was a perfect childhood and it resulted in a perfect me. Next question?

PN: If they made a movie about you making a parody movie about The Pioneer Woman movie, who would play Reese Witherspoon?
PNW: A suitable doll could be easily found to play Reese because she already looks like a Barbie doll.

Experience the hilarity of Pie Near Woman at www.pienearwoman.com.

Patrick will also be sharing his most cherished recipes and alternate uses for butter at www.thelostogle.com.

Talk of the Town

By

Meika Yates Hines

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September 28, 2011

They say that “age ain’t nothin’ but a number,” and never has the adage been truer than it is for Okemah native John Fullbright. At only 23 years old, his reputation as a songwriter belies his age, and he has easily become one of the most talked about musicians in Oklahoma.

Although he’s often compared to legend and fellow Okemah native Woody Guthrie, Fullbright is very much in a class of his own, staying true to the age-old tradition of storytelling in songcraft while exuding an ever-present sense of youthful possibility.

“I grew up in a small town and didn’t really have many friends. I spent a lot of time alone. When you do that, you get to thinking a lot and figuring out the world on your own terms. There’s a lot to be said about isolation (and desolation),” he says.

“I’d say I really started writing the introspective stuff right about that young age when you first start noticing girls and the world starts seeming really unfair – when you start to write because you have to, and it’s the only thing you’ve got. It becomes the only thing you’ve got to fight back with.”

While pursuing a college degree, Fullbright got his foot in the music scene playing keyboards for the Mike McClure Band before branching off on his own as a solo artist.
Armed with the impressive artillery of original songs, he hooked up with manager and Blue Door owner Greg Johnson in Oklahoma City, where he says the ball really started rolling.

His “calling card,” the Live at the Blue Door CD, remains a local favorite among music enthusiasts since it was recorded three years ago, and he’s currently working on his first “industry standard” record that will include both older and newer songs.

As for landing a big break, he says that he’s enjoying how he hasn’t experienced just one, because the breaks continue to happen.

“I keep having those. Opening for guys like Kevin Welch and Jimmy Webb – people that I consider to be the greatest of the great – and just getting to feel like I’m part of the same club and the same family as guys who do and say such big things… I don’t know what a big break feels like to anyone else, but that’s what a big break feels like to me.”

Sage Rage Melt Bar

By

Brian Schwartz

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September 28, 2011

Plato wrote that food is nothing more than fuel for the body, but even he would agree that what’s served at Sage Rage Melt Bar is the Platonic ideal of a grilled cheese sandwich. Sheer perfection. If you think that grilled cheese is nothing more than messy comfort food anyone can fry up on a skillet, you haven’t been to this newly-opened Brookside eatery. It’s operated by Catherine deCamp, owner of Tulsa’s Sage Culinary Studio, and noted chef and cheese maven Amanda Simcoe. Design your own sandwich from a long list of options, or pick one of the signature sandwiches. The “Wench” features gouda, gruyere, mozzarella, bacon, onion, fresh rosemary and rosemary aioli on artisan sourdough bread. The mozzarella is made each day in house, and so is the aioli. Don’t forget to order deCamp’s tomato soup. Imported Roma tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, basil and heavy cream are blended into a bisque bursting with flavor.

What We're Eating

By

Staff

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September 28, 2011

The Hibiscus Jamaican Restaurant

The warm, vibrant spices of the Caribbean flavor the food, and combined with a bright atmosphere and the friendliness of staff and patrons, creates a great dining experience at Hibiscus, a small Jamaican eatery tucked away in a storefront along Brookside. The spicy Ocho Wings, coated in Hibiscus’s signature spicy sauce, are a favorite way to start the meal, while spicy jerk chicken, pineapple pork and escoviche fish are traditional Jamaican specialties offered, as is the spicy stewed oxtail. Nightly specials are a regular occurrence on Hibiscus’ menu, as is live music. 3316 S. Peoria, Tulsa. www.hibiscusbrookside.com

White Lion

Have a hankering for fish and chips? How about a tasty meat pie or a heaping plate of bangers and mash? White Lion, an authentic English pub nestled among much larger buildings in south Tulsa, offers just that, serving British gastronomic specialties, often accompanied by a pint of frothy beer. Dining areas, outfitted with rich wood, dark walls and heavy rugs and drapes, are divided among a few cozy rooms at White Lion, creating a truly authentic pub atmosphere.
The food is equally comforting, with standard British specialties offered, along with nightly specials. Scotch eggs, crab cakes and beef Wellington are not on the menu, but are sometimes offered among nightly specials. 6927 S. Canton Ave., Tulsa. 918.491.6533

The Red Cup

Good drinks, simple food, no frills: Six words that sum up the philosophy behind The Red Cup, a coffee shop and café in Oklahoma City. This vegetarian-friendly eatery has long been a popular hangout for all walks of life; on any given day, you will likely find students, professionals and free spirits populating the dining room. The Red Cup serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering favorites like breakfast burritos, sandwiches and even vegetarian frito pie. Try the Red Cup Stir Fry – fresh veggies and tofu tossed in a savory sauce – or a rich, meatless rigatoni. Hot drinks ranging from basic coffee to chai tea are available, as are smoothies, lemonade and iced teas. 3122 N. Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City. 405.525.3430

Pumpkin Eater

By

Sasha Martin

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September 28, 2011

Each year I begin eating pumpkins when the first brown leaf drops from the trees and continue right up until the first heavy snowfall blankets the ground. Like many Americans, my preferred poison has always been pumpkin pie (and lots of it), but since starting my Global Table Adventure I’ve encountered more ways to eat a pumpkin than I can eat in a single autumn.

It’s no wonder there are so many recipes – the pumpkin has been around since before Colombus landed in the Americas. For centuries, the brilliant orange flesh has graced dinner tables from America all the way down through Latin America and the Caribbean, to Brazil – and even halfway around the world to Europe, Africa and Asia. Our global neighbors celebrate pumpkin in flans, moles, candies and empanadas.

The Cuban version of Pumpkin Flan is sweet, delicate and a typical dessert of the region, where flans and custards serve as weekly, if not daily, treats. When served on a large, festive platter, our recipe makes a stunning display for any fall table and gives my old standby, pumpkin pie, a run for its money.

Pumpkin Flan

For the caramel:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
Pinch of cream of tartar

For the flan:
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
5 eggs plus 2 yolks
1 c. sugar
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of allspice

To cook the caramel, add one cup of sugar to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Splash in a quarter cup of water and the pinch of cream of tartar. Cook until light golden brown, then pour into a bundt pan, swirling it around in the pan to coat the sides. Be careful, as the bundt pan gets hot; you may need pot holders.

To prepare the flan, begin by making a water bath by placing a large lasagna pan in the oven, half full of water. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the milk, cream and scrapings from a vanilla bean. Heat everything over medium until the milk is scalded, or just nearly boils. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, crack five eggs into a large bowl as well as two egg yolks. Stir in the sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, a dash of allspice and the cooled milk mixture. Whisk everything together until smooth and well combined.

Strain your gorgeous flan mixture into the pan (or, if you find it easier, strain into a bowl first). Bake in a water bath for one hour and 10 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let cool and refrigerate about six hours (or overnight).

To unmold, run a knife along the top of all edges to break the “seal.” Then – this is very scientific – jiggle the bundt pan from side to side, until the flan begins to wiggle free. Some caramel should ooze up and out when you tip it to the side a little. You might dip the pan into some hot water for a few seconds to help loosen the caramel at the bottom.

Carefully invert the flan onto a large platter with lip (so the caramel won’t overflow). Slice and serve cool, but not ice cold.

Pumpkin as the Star

Pumpkins are a common food source in cultures across the world. Whether it’s the starter, the main course or ending to a meal, it’s easy to make pumpkin the star by looking at uses around the globe.

In Switzerland, pumpkin is used in soups and salads, but also to make pumpkin gnocchi, thick dumplings that are cooked in boiling water.

In Australia and New Zealand, pumpkin serves as a staple in autumn cooking (when it’s spring here in the Northern Hemisphere). Often cooked alongside beef, lamb or turkey, the pumpkin is sliced and pricked with a fork, then topped with oil, salt and pepper and roasted in a hot oven.

People in southern China use pumpkin in soups, porridges and even made into flour. Pumpkin is also used for some medicinal purposes.

Sasha Martin is cooking one meal for every country in the world. Her picky husband and baby girl are along for the ride. Join the adventure for recipes, reviews and more at www.globaltableadventure.com.

The Art of the Beach

By

Michael W. Sasser

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September 28, 2011

The eyes of the international arts community turn in unison every December to sunny Miami Beach.

Since it launched in 2002, Art Basel Miami Beach has come close to rivaling the scope of its Swiss sister event, the globe’s most renowned visual arts event. The Dec. 1-4 Art Basel Miami Beach combines an international selection of top galleries with an exciting program of special exhibitions, parties and crossover events featuring music, film, architecture and design. Hundreds of the world’s leading galleries exhibit 20th- and 21st-century artworks by thousands of artists. The world’s most respected galleries offer exceptional pieces by both renowned and emerging artists.

While the Art Basel exhibition is housed at the Miami Beach Convention Center, both official and unofficial ancillary events take place across south Miami Beach (“South Beach”), and in edgy mainland Miami neighborhoods such as Wynwood and the Miami Design District. Numerous other arts events have launched or changed their schedules to coincide with Art Basel, creating an “Art Week” that engulfs both the beach and the mainland for the first half of December.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors take to the scenic streets of Miami Beach for Art Basel, making it not just the focal point of the global arts world, but also arguably the most exciting city in the U.S. for weeks.

Of course, Miami Beach is generally in the top ranks of exciting destinations. Alternately thought of as America’s Riviera and Manhattan South, it is the southernmost point of the island city that is the most interesting to visitors – generally south of 23rd Street and close to the ocean. It is the beaches adjacent to Ocean Drive that are prime attractions, with hundreds of quirky hotels, bars and eateries just steps away from the sand. Just a block inland, Collins Avenue is home to numerous shops and hotels and remnants of the color that defined the city before its popularity began to attract chain stores and when head shops and eclectic galleries dotted the street. Washington Avenue is the center of nightlife with leading clubs such as Mansion, Mynt and Twist – the sizable gay community’s favored locale.

Besides the beach and nightlife, fine dining also abounds throughout the city and notably in many of the more upscale hotels. The Art Deco District, south of trendy Lincoln Road, contains the colorful tropical inspired deco architecture that was the original impetus for South Beach’s emergence as international hotspot. Those who can tear themselves away from the world-class beaches and nightlife can take in the architecture in easy walking tours. The Miami Design Preservation League (www.mdpl.org) is a terrific asset to begin exploration of all things deco.

Stay In Style

Most of Miami Beach’s most acclaimed hotels and resorts are within just a few blocks of the Miami Beach Convention Center and here are some nearby options worth considering.
Delano Hotel: This cool urban resort haven designed by Philippe Starck is the epitome of oceanfront South Beach cool, from soaring lobby to rooms of elegant white and to breathtaking pool. With almost 200 guest rooms and just blocks from the convention center, the Delano will be a particularly happening place when the show is in town. www.delano-hotel.com

The Tides South Beach: This Ocean Drive Art Deco icon features 45 elegant suites. Beautifully decorated and with sweeping views of the ocean. The service is legendary and highly personalized in this spectacular example of Miami Beach’s grandeur. www.tidessouthbeach.com

Dream South Beach: For those looking for some real South Beach funky vibe, Dream South Beach’s 108 rooms and suites located a block from the beach and next door to the former home of Versace can be fun. Late ‘70s style décor and a spectacular rooftop pool are just part of the appeal at this eclectic hotel. www.dreamsouthbeach.com

At A Glance

Schedule: Dec. 1-4, 2011

Location: Miami Beach, Fla.

Venue: Miami Beach Convention Center

Getting There: Driving Miami Beach is a risky matter. Taxis are plentiful and reliable on South Beach. Ask to be dropped off at the Convention Center Drive entrance or Washington Avenue entrance.

Lineup: An exclusive selection of more than 250 leading art galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa will exhibit 20th and 21st century artworks by more than 2,000 artists.

General and Ticket Info: www.artbaselmiamibeach.com

Hot Picks

Avoid: South Miami Beach is pedestrian friendly, but some parts are friendlier than others. Ocean Drive and chic Lincoln Road are your safest bets. Be particularly careful walking Washington Avenue after dark.

Bike: Enjoy exploring the Beach by bike with easy rentals citywide from Deco Bike. Pick up and return to kiosks all over town. www.decobike.com

Eat: Cuban cuisine most strongly speaks to the heart of Miami Beach and fortunately the real deal is also wallet-friendly. Check out David’s Café’s two South Beach locations, and do not forget the memorable café con leche. www.davidscafe.com

Visit Online

www.miamibeachfl.gov/visitors

Side Trip: Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach

While the spectacle of Art Basel might be the prime South Florida attraction, there is plenty more to see and do in South Florida than just Miami Beach and mainland Miami. Although it might seem like one continuous city from the southernmost part of Miami-Dade County half the way up Florida’s east coast. It is in reality a stretch of different towns and cities, some of which are particularly interesting to visitors.

Just minutes north of Miami is Fort Lauderdale, famed for generations because of it having been featured in the classic film Where The Boys Are. Long gone are the days of the city’s beach being the number one spring break hot spot, and Miami has subsequently claimed the title as Florida’s sun and fun capital. But with its miles of sandy beaches, clean waterfronts and superior parking along the waterfront, it remains a slightly more sedate destination with much of the appeal of Miami and other oceanfront Florida meccas. Generally, Fort Lauderdale is slightly less tourist oriented, slightly less international and glamorous, and slightly less crowded. It lays claim to being the “Venice of America,” because of its numerous inlets, canals and inland waterways, some of which are abutted by luxurious homes.

Still the beach is Fort Lauderdale’s top attraction and there are numerous access points to enjoy it. Where Hollywood Boulevard meets the ocean in the neighboring town of Hollywood, through Dania Beach and all the way to the northern end of Fort Lauderdale, virtually every major east-west thoroughfare (and exit from Interstate 95, eastern South Florida’s only real highway) intersects with the ocean and there is usually parking and facilities within blocks. From Broward Boulevard to Sunrise Boulevard along State Road A1A (which runs parallel to the shoreline across most of the state) is arguably the most popular stretch of beach in the city, and was the impetus for the film that made Fort Lauderdale a household. The Hollywood Broadwalk and Dania Beach’s John Lloyd State Park are also highly prized beaches, with Hollywood’s waterfront also housing ample restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.

Other ways to enjoy the water in the Venice of America include snorkeling, deep sea fishing or scuba diving from out of one of the numerous piers, gondola tours, boat and yacht rentals, kayaking the inland waterways, and of course, touring the Intracoastal on one of the tours spotlighting the city’s waterfront mansions. The concierge or front desk at most major hotels in the city should be able to provide numerous vendor options for any watery excursion. The Jungle Queen Riverboat cruise is an ideal way to learn about both historic Fort Lauderdale and to see vaunted Millionaire’s Row.

Although Fort Lauderdale’s Riverwalk arts, shopping and entertainment venue is newer and in close proximity to the ocean, it is Las Olas Boulevard that is the city’s real social and entertainment heart. South of downtown and just east of US Highway 1, Las Olas is a stretch of some of the city’s finest restaurants, art galleries, boutique and eclectic shopping, bars and entertainment sites. While the waterfront can be raucous, Las Olas revelry leans to the upper scale.

Other Fort Lauderdale attractions include the International Swimming Hall of Fame, the Museum of Science & Discovery and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

North from Fort Lauderdale

Immediately north of Fort Lauderdale are the affluent communities of Boca Raton and Palm Beach. Although separated by just a short drive, they have the feel of being far more removed from their neighbors to the south.
Boca Raton is predominantly upscale residential on its eastern (most visited) side and generally doesn’t see a lot of visitors from outside the region. Beyond miles of planned gated communities and some charming homes – virtually all featuring Mediterranean revival architecture, its primary appeal is Mizner Park. Mizner Park is an open air dining, shopping and entertainment venue around which most of the town’s social life revolves. Besides pricy shopping and solid if unremarkable upscale dining, the Boca Raton Museum of Art is likely the most interesting attraction to visitors.

The Hawaiian themed Maui Spa & Wellness Center is a tropical oasis of pampering and relaxation in Boca, while Sugar Sand Park and Red Reef Park are two of the favorite places to enjoy the Florida environment away from the throngs of tourists more common in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

North of Boca Raton and on the east side of Palm Beach County, the wealthy lifestyle ante gets upped even more. Oceanfront Palm Beach is one of the wealthiest and most upscale communities in the country. The City of West Palm Beach is slightly more urban and diverse. Far to the west of the county, Wellington is famed horse country. And ironically some parts of the county (the wealthiest county in the US) bordering the Everglades are actually some of the poorest regions of the state (a result of a large population of immigrant workers).

From historic sites to upper echelon shopping, there is an eclectic assortment of sites and activities available in Palm Beach County.

Ritzy Palm Beach features opulent sites resting amidst notably Mediterranean architecture, such as The Breakers Palm Beach, a luxurious resort that’s favored by visiting celebs and the jet-set. While staying there, few miss the opportunity to traverse the world-famous Addison Mizner creation, Worth Avenue – home to the highest end shopping outside of Manhattan, and to most designer names of significance in the fashion world. On the exclusive island of Palm Beach rests Mar-A-Lago, the historic estate originally owned by Marjorie Post and now owned by Donald Trump. Although Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Pressley spent their honeymoon there in 1994, today it would require a private invitation to fully explore the US National Historic Landmark.

Less exclusive destinations abound as well such as the Flagler Museum-Whitehall in Palm Beach, another historic estate but this one open to the public. It preserves the historic of Henry Flagler and his remarkable role in Florida history.

The Four Arts Gardens, also known as the Four Arts Library, Gardens and Philip Hulitar Sculpture Gardens, are spectacular Palm Beach botanical gardens. The Norton Museum of Art is one of the state’s leading venues of its kind. The Kravis Center, named for Tulsan Ray Kravis, is one of the most respected performing arts houses in Florida.

West Palm Beach’s Clematis Street is the center of hip entertainment and shopping for the local crowd that doesn’t have an in with Mar-A-Lago’s Trump. Families with children, though, might prefer the adventurous Lion Country Safari or Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge or at Grassy Waters Preserve.

Art lovers might arrive in South Florida for Art Basel Miami Beach, but for those with an appreciation of the art of living well, tropically and interesting – the coastal communities of South Florida offer endless appeal.

Just Breathe

By

Meika Yates Hines

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September 28, 2011

One of the greatest things that we can do for children is encourage them to have a healthy appreciation of their minds, bodies and spirits. What better way to instill this positive message into their hearts than to introduce them to exercise that is fun, calming and noncompetitive?

Promoting a state of overall wellness that can last a lifetime, kid’s yoga is an unconventional extracurricular activity that enhances physical strength, balance, flexibility and body awareness as much as it improves focus and concentration.

“One of the biggest problems facing adolescents in our culture today is obesity, so any kind of exercise you can get a child involved in is good exercise,” says Dr. William James, a primary care physician who focuses on pediatrics at St. John Medical Center.

“There are a lot of studies showing that children who are overweight or obese often leads to adolescents who are overweight, leading to adults who are ultimately in the same situation. Setting up your mind and body to take care of yourself early on establishes good habits that you’ll tend to follow for the rest of your life.”

For children who are involved in sports and other physical activities, the strengthening and flexibility benefits acquired through a regular yoga practice can work as a helpful preventative tool.

“Improved flexibility and strength is a type of conditioning that can help to prevent injuries when used in coordination with other activities, such as sports and other things of that nature,” James adds.

Through kid’s yoga, children have the opportunity to reap many of the additional benefits that adults enjoy, such as outlets for relaxation and breathing techniques used to combat stress.

With its synchronization of movement, stretching, mindful breathing and encouragement of inner connection, yoga nurtures a youthful energy that almost derives from childhood itself.

“Children are natural yoginis. They are a lot better at the breathing than we are. When we’re born, we breathe through our entire bodies; then, as we grow into adulthood, we gradually lose touch with that ability, but we don’t have to,” explains Lauren Sullivan, a certified kid’s yoga instructor at Yoga at Tiffany’s in Oklahoma City.

“Yoga also does wonders to improve posture and encourage increased awareness of their bodies, because they learn to be more aware of the ways that they move and the effects of the movement. I think a lot of people have a preconceived idea of what yoga is – that you just sit there and close your eyes – but there is actually lot of physical activity and movement involved.”

The age range for kid’s yoga classes varies, with classes beginning at age 3, so classes can be every bit as fun and playful as they are instructional.

Particularly at the testing age, when kids spend the lion’s share of their days sitting behind desks, yoga has been proven to be an excellent way to counter the pressures of their day-to-day lives.

Learning how to overcome mental distraction and agitation to “let go” and simply rest, as many adults have learned, however, is not an easy thing that comes naturally at any age.

“Kids have stress – a lot more than we think. If you teach children how to go back to a safe and calming place with their breathing, it makes any sort of stressor in their lives much easier to deal with,” Sullivan says.

“Developing this helps them to concentrate on a happy place or a happy thought, which aids in relieving stress in school, on the playground and any other place in their lives.”

The Sultan Of Special Effects

By

Jami Mattox

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September 28, 2011

John Stirling is an artist that produces works with the help of an airbrush, skin wax and, yes, even rigid collodion. His canvas is the face, the body. The pictures he paints are not always beautiful, but sometimes they are. They often evoke horror, fear, even disdain. And that’s exactly what Stirling wants.

“Funny thing, I just kind of grew into it,” Stirling says of his special effects makeup artistry.

“Seven years ago, my ex and stepson wanted tattoos, and they wanted me to get one, too. So I started researching, got an airbrush and stated playing with temporary tattoos. Next thing I knew I was airbrushing at events, doing face painting and body painting.”

It was Stirling’s work at Scream Country – an epic horror attraction that has haunted Drumright, Okla., for the past decade and a half – that vaulted him into performing true special effects makeup artistry.

This month, Stirling has cleared his calendar and prepared for a whirlwind of special effects, which includes providing makeup for those working at Scream Country, as well as the cast of Evil Dead The Musical, a national traveling homage to low-budget horror movies. Working on the makeup for this production tops the list of great experiences for Stirling.

“Evil Dead The Musical is holding sellout shows again all through October in Drumright,” he says. “It’s a challenging show, and I get treated like a rock star.”

Stirling has also done work for a breast cancer charity calendar, and he has also done traditional Cherokee makeup on renowned Cherokee storyteller Robert Lewis.

But it’s the horror aspect of his work that keeps Stirling excited.

“Getting to work with America’s oldest living horror show host Count Gregore was a thrill,” he says.

Stirling hopes to continue to expand his special effects makeup artistry business, even into television.

“I want to get started (on a) TV pilot that takes a look at monsters from the aspect of a naturalist. Kind a Crocodile Hunter or Man vs. Wild thing, but in this case, monster hunter and horror survival. It would be a makeup artist’s dream – a new monster each week,” he says.

An accounting clerk by day, Stirling admires another self-taught special effects makeup artist, Tom Savini, who is considered by many to be the father of modern-day horror makeup. He says there are no certifications needed to perform special effects makeup, but that it helps to be trained.

“Art school, cosmetology school – it all helps. But you must practice safe makeup. Safety is a huge part of special effects makeup. It’s being able to make people look gory and horrid, but safely.”

In the Wake of Blood Cult

By

John Wooley

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September 28, 2011

Halloween is on the horizon, which makes this an apt column to reiterate one of the longest-lived of all moviemaking axioms: If you can shoot a horror movie cheaply enough, you’re going to make money.

The reason? Horror has long been a genre that doesn’t need major stars or a big budget to succeed at the box office; there are lots of folks out there who’ll queue up to see a scary movie just because it’s a scary movie, with the ultra-low-budget Paranormal Activity being one of the best recent examples.

Another excellent example came along a little over a quarter of a century ago, right here in Oklahoma. The Tulsa-lensed Blood Cult didn’t just earn more than 30 times its very modest production cost, which is impressive enough. Because it was the first-ever feature film intended to bypass theaters and go directly to the home-video market, it changed the very definition of the term “movie.”

The story of this groundbreaking collaboration between Bill Blair’s Tulsa-based United Entertainment, a homevid distributor, and filmmakers Christopher and Linda Lewis, is told in some detail in Shot in Oklahoma, my recently published book by University of Oklahoma Press. But the focus of the book, which is on theatrical films, militated against the inclusion of the Oklahoma-produced video features that came along in Blood Cult’s wake.

There were plenty of them, though. Within months of Blood Cult’s release, dozens of made-for-video features were in production all over the country, many with a horror angle. Probably because the revolution had happened right in their backyard, Oklahoma filmmakers were responsible for more than their fair share, and homegrown United Entertainment was right there to cut distribution deals. In the second half of the 1980s alone, the Tulsa company would release two more fright flicks by the Lewises, The Ripper (1985) and Revenge (1986), as well as horror efforts from other Oklahoma moviemakers, including Terror at Tenkiller (1986) and Blood Lake (1988).

Unfortunately, things went south rather quickly in the direct-to-video market. The culprit was overproduction; videotape had made it much cheaper to shoot, edit, and release a movie, and even the most avid horror fan couldn’t watch every genre title on the suddenly cluttered racks of the video-rental stores. As is the case with just about everything else in life, timing was of utmost importance.

Which brings us to a trio of Tulsa features that, at this writing, are not readily available. Two of them had what appears to have been nominal releases. The other had a big premiere and sold a few copies for its producer, but never had an actual distributor. All contain horror elements, and all of them were directed by Tulsa’s Larry Thomas. They are Mutilations (1987), a tale of cattle-mutilating aliens; The Change (1989), a romance/psychological thriller featuring a monster-filled nightmare sequence; and Vigilante Blood (1993), a death-dealing masked-avenger picture produced and written by Oklahoman Harvey Shell. Shell, along with fellow actors Bill Buckner and Dann Daigle – among others – were part of an ad hoc Tulsa stock company, appearing in all three pictures.

Mutilations, Thomas says, was influenced by classic science fiction films like the original versions of The Thing (1951) and War of the Worlds (1953), as well as by the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen, who created iconic monsters for such classics as It Came From Beneath the Sea and 20,000 Miles to Earth. It was Harryhausen, even more than Blood Cult, which set Thomas on his filmmaking path.

“In the early ‘80s, I actually met Ray Harryhausen on several occasions, and over the course of our conversations, he kind of encouraged me to go forward,” Thomas explains.

Then, at a comic book and movie convention, Thomas connected with Texas-based artist John Fischner, who was also a fan of Harryhausen and had been experimenting with stop-motion animation himself. When Thomas read a story about Blood Cult in a local magazine, everything suddenly came together.

One of the reasons Blood Cult’s costs were so low – in the neighborhood of $30,000 – was that it had been shot on half-inch videotape, the kind TV news outfits were using at the time. Thomas, however, decided he wanted to shoot Mutilations on actual film, bumping the cost up to, he says, “less than $100,000.” Part of that budget paid for a long stretch in Texas, where Fischner created the stop-motion animation effects.

“We didn’t have enough money, I knew, to go through elaborate film editing with color film stock,” he adds, “but we found a cheaper way to do it. We transferred it to one-inch, high-resolution videotape and bumped it down to three-quarter-inch tape, and made all our editing decisions on that. I didn’t want that dull Eastman Color look. I wanted that lush, three-strip Technicolor look, like in War of the Worlds. So we went in and boosted the colors throughout the film, to give it that look as much as possible.”

His next picture, The Change, was the story of a young burn victim (Shelly Creel) with repressed, violent memories brought out by a kidnapping. To Thomas, it represented a step up.

“It cost about $150,000,” he says. “It was filmed over six weeks instead of three (for Mutilations). And I realized we needed to get the best performances possible, so I really went to work for over two months with rehearsals. Five days a week, with all the actors.”

As was the case with Mutilations, most of the people involved with The Change were working on deferral, hoping to get a piece of the profits. So far, neither film has shown any.

“That’s what’s sad to me,” Thomas reflects. “They all had faith in the projects. And I’ve never been able to produce money for myself or for them.”

Thomas himself took a deferred salary to direct Vigilante Blood – with the same results. No one working on the picture, including its two Oklahoma City-based leads – Price Fallin (who was, at the time, married to our now-governor Mary Fallin) and Susan Lauren – made anything, and producer-writer Shell ended up in the negative column, spending around $15,000 out of his own pocket to get the film across the finish line.

“A lot of it was craft services, and we had various other minor expenses, but they did add up,” Shell says. “Most of it was equipment. We didn’t have any, so we bought some used.”

Shot on VHS tape, Vigilante Blood made its debut on July 25, 1993, with a star-studded party at Tulsa’s Outback Sports Cafe. But its producer had qualms about releasing it to the general public.

“The problem was the graininess of the picture,” Shell explains. “If we had made it in black and white, it would not have been a problem, but in color it was too grainy. For the kind of money we needed to charge, which was about $10 for a tape then, people would’ve felt robbed.”

So no one involved made a dime out of Vigilante Blood. But it’s a good bet that many of the cast and crew knew there was little chance of a big payday anyway, and did it for the pure joy of helping create a movie.

“They all did it for nothing,” Shell recalls. “But just about every one of them said, when we finished, ‘Be sure to call me the next time you do one.’”

Resource Revolution

By

Staff

-

September 28, 2011

In western and northern Oklahoma and elsewhere in the region, often far from the eyes of most residents, oil and gas rigs are popping up in numbers unseen in decades and often in places long thought devoid of accessible resources.

In many cases, they’re new types of rigs – many times more efficient and with a more conservative impact on the environment. Their job is the same as in the past, but these days they are being more successful at it than ever before. While much of the media focuses on the potential of alternative energy sources, those in the real-world energy industries know that there is already major news from the sector – and it’s good news for those who support U.S. energy independence.

“This story is tremendous,” says Mike Cantrell, president of the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance (DEPA) and chairman of Cantrell Energy Corporation.

“There has been a paradigm shift in the energy industry.”

“I’d say it’s a boom,” chimes in Brad Foster, Devon Energy senior vice president, Central Division. “When you look at oil and gas operations in the U.S., and try to explain it to a layman, it’s analogous to the iPhone-iPad type advancement.”

What those in the industry are talking about and what Foster dubs “the biggest development in the energy industry in the last 50 years” is the boom, occurring over just the past few years brought about by new technology and new and innovative application of existing technology.

“I’d say it really started in the Barnett Shale around 2002,” Foster says.

Around that time, Mitchell Energy had developed a hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” technique that showed limited success in fracking resources from shale – the density of which typically made capturing oil and gas from it cost ineffective, if not outright impossible. Devon purchased Mitchell Energy, and the technique continued to be built on.

“We took that technology and also applied it to horizontal drilling, and it has ramped up to where it is today,” Foster says. “It unlocked the Barnett, and it has just transformed the industry.”

Fracking has been used in the on-shore energy industry for some 60 years. It involves increasing the permeability of rock and stone by concentrated exposure to a high-pressure solution of predominantly water and sand.

Horizontal drilling, also known as directional drilling, developed largely in conjunction with offshore drilling. Unlike vertical drilling, horizontal drilling permits a single descent into the ground to then “turn” and access resources along a horizontal plane.
Combining the two with various specific techniques and machinery has opened up energy resources long thought out of reach.

“Wells that were vertically not economically feasible can now be drilled horizontally and with a large stimulation on them can be very productive and economical,” says Steve Dixon, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Chesapeake Energy.

“This isn’t about exploration. We knew these resources were there…We just couldn’t get to them.”

“This isn’t about exploration. We knew these resources were there. They just couldn’t be produced economically. We just couldn’t get to them.”

The development of the process opened or re-opened known resource sites around Oklahoma and elsewhere in the U.S. and expanded the potential of others already being utilized, including Oklahoma’s Cana and Woodford Shale, among others.

Cantrell says it isn’t just energy giants such as Devon and Chesapeake who are benefitting from the recent advance and resource boom.

“More and more companies are able to participate because the technology has made it economically viable for them,” Cantrell says.

Foster says that states such as Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana are and will benefit tremendously from the rush of activity.

“At Chesapeake, we’re ramping up activity in Oklahoma, and we’re really pleased,” Dixon says. “We’ll probably drill twice as many wells this year as we did in 2011, and it will only continue to expand.”

Chesapeake is currently operating 35 drilling rigs in Oklahoma. Their current daily natural gas production in Oklahoma is 900,000 cubic feet per day, and oil production is 32,000 barrels per day.

Foster says that Devon has spent a billion-plus dollars in Oklahoma since the new technique opened up so much more of the Sooner State’s resources.

Industry experts cite the economic advantages to the state from the revitalized drilling.

“There will be a huge windfall for the states, from employment, mineral rights and taxes,” Foster says. “School districts get the biggest chunk of ad valorem taxes, so it can be a lot of money for schools in the area.”

Foster also points out that the activity in Oklahoma is mostly in remote small towns and rural areas, well outside of high population centers.

“It’s a huge deal for rural western Oklahoma,” he says. “A lot of towns that were dying are now surviving and even thriving because of this activity. Most people we find out there are happy about it. Some aren’t. But it’s having an incredible effect on a lot of small towns where the populations had plummeted.”

The greater economic impact isn’t lost on industry insiders, either.

“Just this year, shale gas has grown to 30 percent of U.S. production,” Dixon says. “It didn’t even exist a few years ago. And I think liquids could displace foreign oil.”

New access has also increased the official position on the quantity of retrievable oil and gas in U.S. territory. In 2007, the Potential Gas Committee (based at the Colorado School of Mines), estimated the U.S. natural gas resource base to be 1,321 trillion cubic feet. That was four years after Devon coupled horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the Barnett Shale, but it was still before the shale gas revolution fully was underway. This year, the Potential Gas Committee raised its estimate to 1,898 trillion cubic feet – a 44 percent increase over the 2007 estimate.

“Over the past 10 years there has probably been a four-fold or five-fold increase in estimated (recoverable resources),” Foster says. “There is tons and tons more natural gas than people imagine. Natural gas is revolutionary. It’s cleaner and it will probably be the fuel of choice in the future. It just takes time for people to realize it. At the current demand level, and based on finding no more than what we have already found, there is a 100 year supply.”

Cantrell says that by the time official estimates are revised, they are already obsolete because of the rapid rate of change in the industry.

“It’s very good for Oklahoma because the state is rich in resources and we will better be able to (access) them,” Dixon says.

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